UGI’RING – Your Questions Answered
1. Is it true that UGI’RING will restart operations with four melting furnaces (like the site’s previous operator)?
No, UGI’RING will begin its operations with a new single melting furnace, and its capacity will be significantly lower than even one of the furnaces previously used on the site. The four old furnaces will not be reused.
2. You mention innovation – but isn’t this process still experimental?
The innovation of UGI’RING lies in a world-first approach: transforming stainless steel production into a circular economy model.UGI’RING will rely on advanced and proven technologies, adapted specifically to enable the recovery and reuse of metallic co-products.
Patents have been filed to protect our intellectual property internationally.We leverage the expertise of our partners with 25 years of pyrometallurgy experience, as well as the know-how of UGITECH, a specialist in metal melting and processing.
This means UGI’RING is not an experimental project, but the result of in-depth studies and a detailed preliminary design phase.
3. What are the potential health risks for local residents?
A Health Risk Assessment (HRA) was conducted within a 6 km radius of the site. It evaluated possible exposure for both children and adults, as well as public buildings (e.g., schools).
All potential emissions from UGI’RING were analyzed and compared to reference values set by recognized health authorities (e.g., the WHO and the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety).
The study, conducted by an independent firm (EODD), used a conservative worst-case approach (e.g., maximizing possible emissions in the dispersion model).
A “maximum exposure” scenario was tested: 24/7, year-round exposure to modeled peak emissions.
The project also includes advanced dust collection and emission control technologies tailored to the treatment of co-products and/or waste.
The study was reviewed and validated by the Regional Health Authority (ARS), which issued a positive opinion, confirming the low risk to public health.
4. Is it true that UGI’RING will handle its own environmental monitoring?
As a facility classified under ICPE (Installations Classified for Environmental Protection) and subject to regulatory authorization, UGI’RING will be held to strict environmental monitoring standards defined by ministerial and prefectural decrees.
Monitoring will cover air emissions and filtering systems, including all relevant substances.Sampling will be performed by certified third-party firms and analyzed in accredited laboratories.
Additionally, random inspections may be carried out at any time by the DREAL (Regional Directorate for the Environment, Planning and Housing).
5. How often will air and water emissions be analyzed?
Monitoring frequency and limit thresholds will be clearly defined in the prefectural decree authorizing operations.
In coordination with DREAL, an enhanced monitoring program may be implemented during the first few months of operation to verify the effectiveness of air treatment systems.
6. Will the emissions from the chimneys be toxic?
No. The chimneys are the final outlet for treated air, following a multi-stage filtration process using best available techniques.
For example, the furnace will be fully enclosed and captured at the dome and surrounding enclosure. Emissions will then pass through four treatment stages:
- Post-combustion (for unburned organics)
- Particulate filtration
- Secondary gas treatment with reagents
- Final particulate filtration
In the case of battery melting, an activated carbon filtration system will also be used – a proven and effective method.
All systems will be monitored and controlled through dedicated supervision tools.
7. Why are the chimneys 30 meters high?
Chimney height is defined by a ministerial regulation: it must be the height of the tallest building on-site plus 5 meters.
8. What are the safety risks for people living near the site?
A Hazard Study was conducted to evaluate scenarios that could potentially lead to accidents affecting areas outside the site boundary. Using a conservative approach, including unlikely but possible worst-case events, the study concluded that—once natural gas is introduced in early 2026—the only external effect would be minor overpressure (20 mbar) in nearby zones.
This level of overpressure does not require any construction changes for existing buildings. In the case of new buildings, standard glazing already meets the containment requirement.
The simulation did not factor in natural terrain or building structures, which in reality serve as effective physical barriers against explosion pressure waves. This makes events such as window breakage extremely unlikely.
There is no scenario where fire would have thermal effects outside the site. The study was reviewed and validated by DREAL AURA (Regional Directorate for Environment, Planning, and Housing).
9. Has the risk of earthquakes been taken into account?
Yes. All construction standards relevant to seismic and climatic risks will be strictly applied throughout the project to the new buildings.
10. Will UGI’RING process lithium batteries (with fire or explosion risks)?
No. UGI’RING will only store and process alkaline and saline batteries, excluding lithium batteries, which are known to carry higher risks due to their high energy density.
For context: the short-circuit current of an alkaline battery is about 1,000 times lower than that of a lithium battery.Furthermore, according to the ARIA database (French national industrial accident registry), no fire events have been recorded involving sorted alkaline or saline batteries.
11. The site is located in a natural area of ecological interest (ZNIEFF). Was this considered?
Yes. The biodiversity impact study reviewed species listed within the ZNIEFF zones (Beaufortain, Lauzière, Grand Arc) and considered the potential presence of common and adaptable species in the project area.
The site is in a heavily constrained area for wildlife movement, mainly due to the N90 highway.Since the industrial zone was already artificialized and fenced before UGI’RING’s arrival, the project does not introduce new barriers to wildlife movement beyond those already present.
12. Is there a risk of pollutant fallout on nearby pastureland?
The Health Risk Assessment (HRA) included evaluation of indirect exposure through vegetation, such as consumption of garden produce potentially affected by atmospheric deposition.
The study concluded that consuming plants grown near the site poses no health risk once UGI’RING is operational.By extension, grazing animals would also not be at risk.
13. Will UGI’RING operate like an incinerator?
No. Unlike an incinerator that burns waste, UGI’RING uses pyrometallurgical processes to reduce metallic oxides into elemental metals at high temperatures.
The input materials contain very little combustible content (e.g., less than 0.5% in co-products from Ugitech).
However, a post-combustion stage is included to destroy any unburned organics, followed by three additional air treatment stages. This ensures compliance with emission limits for pollutants like VOCs, dioxins, and particulate matter.
Heavy metals are captured during the two filtration stages after post-combustion.
14. Does the project actually have a positive environmental impact?
Yes. UGITECH commissioned a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of its stainless steel production process.
The LCA compared:
- The current process, using primary raw materials (mined nickel, molybdenum, manganese),
- vs. the UGI’RING model, using pyrometallurgical recovery from metallic co-products and waste (e.g., ferro-nickel-chrome, ferro-manganese).
18 environmental indicators were analyzed.95% showed significant improvements with the UGI’RING approach.
The only increase was related to the use of electricity, due to the French nuclear power mix – still considered low-carbon.
15. Will a greenhouse gas (CO₂) emissions assessment be conducted for UGI’RING?
Yes. A greenhouse gas emissions inventory will be conducted based on real operational data once the site is up and running.
16. Is it true that UGI’RING will consume several million cubic meters of water per year?
No. UGI’RING is expected to use approximately 30,000 m³ of water per year, drawn from the groundwater table.That’s equivalent to the annual consumption of around 500 households.
Of this volume, only about 6% will be used as potable water (mainly for sanitary needs).The remaining 94% will be used for cooling purposes.
The project also includes measures to reduce water usage and promote water recycling, which were presented in the operating license application.
17. Why was the public inquiry launched so late if the project has been in development for 5 years?
Initially, UGI’RING was planned to be built on the Ugine site. However, due to space limitations and insufficient electrical capacity, this was not feasible.
In 2023, the project was re-evaluated for a new site in Château-Feuillet, which offered sufficient space and power availability.
Following discussions with the previous operator, UGI’RING became the official site owner on October 30, 2023.Simultaneously, the authorization application was prepared with the engineering office EODD and reviewed by government agencie including DREAL and the Environmental Authority, which issued an opinion at the end of 2023.
UGI’RING chose to wait until all regulatory feedback had been incorporated to share a complete and transparent file with the public.
A public meeting was held on February 12, 2024, to present the full summary.The length of the public inquiry is set by French law.
To maintain communication after the site becomes operational, a monitoring committee will be established under the authority of the prefect. It will include representatives from the government, local authorities, nearby residents, company employees, and the operator.
In addition, UGI’RING will voluntarily create a local dialogue group for residents of the La Léchère area, with an annual meeting.
18. What is the actual number of jobs the project will create?
At startup, the site will generate approximately 50 direct jobs, with a target of 110 employees in the long term.
The presence of an industrial site also creates indirect economic benefits through subcontractors (operations, maintenance, investment) as well as impacts on restaurants, hotels, shops and other services.
In general, one direct job is estimated to generate 1.5 indirect jobs in the surrounding area.
19. What about noise levels? You committed to new measurements — what are the expected impacts?
As promised in response to the Environmental Authority, a new acoustic measurement campaign was conducted around the site in February 2024, while the site was inactive.
UGI’RING has committed to complying with regulatory noise limits, both at the site boundary and for sensitive areas (e.g. homes, schools, public buildings).
Several measures were included in the project design to prevent and reduce noise, such as:
- Enclosing all processes within buildings
- Acoustic insulation around the melting furnace
- Preservation of berms and natural earth mounds around the site
Post-commissioning noise tests will be carried out within the first 12 months, by an external specialist.If needed, UGI’RING will implement corrective actions.
Note: the acoustic environment is already influenced by traffic from the N90 highway and surrounding roads.
20. The site will be classified SEVESO "upper tier": what risks does this pose to the public? Will residents need to shelter in place? Is there a risk of impact from nearby SEVESO sites?
UGI’RING will be subject to the SEVESO III directive, which applies strict rules to industrial sites to prevent accidents and limit their consequences.
Importantly, UGI’RING's SEVESO classification is not due to toxic emissions that could require residents to shelter.The classification is based on potential environmental risks to aquatic life, related to the storage of certain waste types.
All waste storage measures will comply with Best Available Techniques (BAT).